Public relations techniques rule as dialogue gives way to talking points: Politicians have misled voters for as long as there have been politicians. At times, though, and not so long ago, it was not a death wish to claim to be a moderate willing to work with members of the other party. That’s hardly possible when message makers call the shots.... Read more»

The rewrite of the Voting Rights Act currently being debated in Congress would free Arizona from nearly 50 years of strict federal oversight to changes in its voting laws. While Arizona and other states will be out from under the federal microscope for now, the proposed change to the law would let them be drawn back in.... Read more»

Calling on the White House to use executive authority to expand a deferment program created in 2012, six congressional Democrats argued Monday that such a measure is necessary to deal with current immigrants and push Congress to action on the immigration reform measure passed by the Senate last year. ... Read more»2

The U.S. House barely passed a farm bill Thursday afternoon, with only one member of the Arizona delegation supporting the measure after leaders stripped the food stamp program out of it. The 216-208 vote largely followed party lines, with every Democrat voting against the bill and 12 Republicans breaking ranks to vote against it.... Read more»

Advocates for immigration reform who balked at a U.S. Senate proposal that adopted a strict border enforcement amendment might soon realize it was the best chance they were going to get. On Wednesday a group of key House Republicans said in a brief statement that they will not support the Senate's measure, opting instead for a series of fixes to what the group calls the country's broken system.... Read more»

Rep. Chad Campbell, D-Phoenix, says spending $261 million to beef up school security, help at-risk students and address the needs of the mentally ill would help prevent gun violence in schools and communities. A House GOP spokesman calls the proposal "irrelevant." ... Read more»

Cross-border agreements between U.S. and Mexican officials, Republican politicians evaluate their stance on immigration and an update on the Department of Homeland Security's investigation into Border Patrol's October shooting in Nogales... Read more»

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